


Between Games

by maddogkyouchan



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, BokuAkaKuroTsuki Week, M/M, Multi, Non-Volleyball Tsukishima
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27323908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maddogkyouchan/pseuds/maddogkyouchan
Summary: Tsukishima never expected to find himself here, in the stands, cheering on Karasuno. Unfortunately, as soon as Yamaguchi insisted on joining the team despite Tsukishima refusing to do the same, he was delegated to the cheering section, just like his brother had been years ago. So here he was, surrounded by people screaming support for his school- the underdogs who just barely got their ticket to Nationals.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 3
Kudos: 144





	Between Games

Tsukishima never expected to find himself here, in the stands, cheering on Karasuno. Unfortunately, as soon as Yamaguchi insisted on joining the team despite Tsukishima refusing to do the same, he was delegated to the cheering section, just like his brother had been years ago. So here he was, surrounded by people screaming support for his school- the underdogs who just barely got their ticket to Nationals.

There’s not much enthusiasm in his cheering, but then again, he’s not here for the team- he’s just here for Yamaguchi, who seems calmer every time he peeks at the stands to see his best friend standing there. It’s easy to pretend that he doesn’t mind when he knows it helps Yamaguchi- who’s been building his confidence this year as a starting middle blocker.

Tsukishima’s proud of him, but it’s also such a relief to not be on the team. To not be the person who sobs over every win and loss, to not care about volleyball so much it becomes his world. Even now, when he’s in the cheering section the way Akiteru was, it’s not the same- he’s not devastated to be here instead of on the court.

When the Karasuno and Nekoma match is over- Karasuno’s win, somehow- Tsukishima heads down off the stands to meet with Yamaguchi, only to get bulldozed over in the process. The guy who knocks him over doesn’t even seem to notice, but before Tsukishima can so much as realize what happened, there’s a hand in his face. “I’m sorry about Bokuto-san,” a calm and even voice says.

He glances up to see probably the prettiest boy he’s ever met attached to the outstretched arm. For a moment it leaves him awestruck- though, that’s probably just from how he hit his head on the way down. He quickly realizes how foolish he must look, gawking at this stranger, so he takes the hand and lets himself be pulled to his feet.

“He’s just excited to see Kuroo-san,” the boy goes on to explain. “I’ll get him to apologize when he’s-” he glances aside to see the bull that ran him over squeezing Karasuno and Nekoma’s captains in a tight hug. “-done with that. We barely made it here in time after our own match.”

“I’m fine,” Tsukishima insists, not up to speaking with that person- even from here, he can tell how boisterous he is, especially if he just came from a game and still has that much energy. “I need to go meet up with someone, anyway.”

“Someone on the court?” the boy asks. “I’m heading down as well, if you are.”

He hesitates before nodding and starting to walk down the steps again. He’s careful as he steps- his head hurts from where he hit it, and he doesn’t want to misstep and fall over again. He notices the boy watching him as they walk and he avoids his gaze, holding his head up and feigning that he’s perfectly fine.

“...what’s your name?” he asks Tsukishima. “I’m Akaashi Keiji, the setter for the Fukurodani team.”

He takes a moment to decide how to answer. “Tsukishima Kei. I’m… a friend of a middle blocker from Karasuno.”

“Oh, which one?”

“Number eleven, Yamaguchi.”

“It’s nice of you to come all this way to cheer him on,” Akaashi (and isn’t his name as lovely as he is? There’s something wrong with Tsukishima-) comments.

“His teammate’s older sister is dating my brother, so she offered to drive me.” This is far more information than he’d normally offer a stranger. Is it the head wound or Akaashi’s appearance throwing him off more?

“I see,” he says, and leaves it at that as they finally reach the court. As soon as he’s off the steps, Tsukishima is nearly bowled over again, this time by Yamaguchi hugging him.

“Tsukki- Tsukki, we did it-!” he’s weeping with joy, but Tsukishima is overcome with a wave of dizziness from the hug, and has to fight back nausea rather than react to Yamaguchi’s dramatics.

“R-right,” he gets out. “Congratulations. You only have… one more game today, right?”

“That’s right- oh, we’re in the  _ quarter finals, _ Tsukki!” He finally pulls back and looks up at Tsukishima, squinting a little. “Wait, are you okay? You look… sick.”

“I’m alright. Do you know who you’re up against yet?”

“No, the other match is going on right now- unless it’s finished already. Whoever wins we’ll be taking on… but we’ve come so far now. Even this is better than the coach thought we’d do this year! It’d only be better if…” Yamaguchi trails off, but they both know the end of that sentence. Yamaguchi wanted Tsukishima by his side this entire time.

“You’ll do fine.” ‘Without me’ goes unsaid, but Yamaguchi hears it, from the look on his face. “You go rejoin everyone. I’ll wait with Saeko-oneesan.” The name gets a chuckle from Yamaguchi- calling her ‘Tanaka-san’ just led to confusion with her younger brother, and Saeko took that opportunity to essentially bully him into calling her oneesan. Tsukishima doesn’t like it, but it’s easier to go along than make himself a target of mockery by showing how reluctant he is.

“Alright. Wish me luck, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi rejoins the team before Tsukishima can respond, and Tsukishima leans against the wall to keep himself standing.

It feels like he merely blinks, and suddenly Akaashi is standing in front of him, with his bull of a friend and Nekoma’s captain in tow. “Tsukishima-san, this is Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san. Boku-”

“I’m sorry!” the bull apologizes immediately. “I didn’t realize I knocked you over, are you okay?!”

Tsukishima blinks again. At least he seems sincere. “It’s fine.” He realizes a moment too late that he’s not answering the question. “I’m alright, you don’t need to be so frantic.”

“Are you sure?” Akaashi asks him. “You seem a little…”

“Not all there,” Nekoma’s captain finishes for him. “Sure you didn’t hit your head?” Almost immediately, Tsukishima’s hand goes to the bump on his head- it’s sore to the touch, of course, and he’s sure he doesn’t hide the wince well enough.

“I don’t have time to take you to the nurse!” Bokuto says. Normally, Tsukishima would take that to mean that it’s an inconvenience, but the distress in his voice is so genuine it’s hard to be insulted.

“Don’t worry, bro,” Nekoma’s captain- Kuroo, right?- tells him, resting a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder. “We’re sticking around to watch Karasuno’s game, so I can take him.”

“I don’t need to see anyone,” Tsukishima insists. “I have to watch the game, too.”

Bokuto frowns- it’s almost comical how much his expression twists. “But what if you have a concussion?”

Tsukishima shakes his head- a little slowly, to avoid any more dizziness. “I don’t. Besides, if I did, I’d need to go to a doctor back home anyway, and my ride isn’t leaving until Karasuno’s next match is over.”

“Then I’ll keep an eye on you,” Kuroo says firmly. Before Tsukishima can disagree, he continues. “For Bo’s peace of mind. He’s gonna screw up more than usual- “Bokuto squawks, offended- “-if he’s worrying about breaking some poor guy-”

“We have to go now,” Akaashi cuts him off, checking his phone. “Washio-san says the coach is looking for us. Kuroo-san, make sure Tsukishima-san is alright. Tsukishima-san, I’m sorry we met like this. Please feel better.” He takes Bokuto by the wrist and hurries off, leaving Tsukishima and Kuroo alone.

It’s awkwardly quiet for a moment before Kuroo speaks up. “You sure you don’t need to see the med station?”

“I’m fine,” he insists, yet again, feeling like a broken record. “Maybe you need your head checked, if you can’t remember me telling you that I’m alright.”

That pulls a laugh out of Kuroo. “Okay, okay. We should go make sure we can get good places on Karasuno’s side.”

“I’m not too worried about that,” Tsukishima says dryly, but heads off anyway, Kuroo following close behind. It’s not hard to find Saeko in the crowd- even though she’s small, she’s incredibly loud. She’s shoved past everyone to be right at the edge of the bleachers, of course, and made more than enough space for Tsukishima as well.

“Kei!” she crows when she sees him. “Finally, where’d you go?”

“I was talking to-”

Saeko cuts him off. “Nekoma’s captain? What are you doing here?”

Before Kuroo can open his mouth, Tsukishima speaks for him. “His friend inconvenienced me, and he insisted on making up for it.”

“Getting lackeys already?” she laughs, seeming almost proud. “You’re a born bully, Kei!”

Tsukishima rolls his eyes and leans on the barrier, head spinning a little again when he looks down at the court. He blinks, as though that will make it go away- it doesn’t, but the dizziness naturally fades out. He just needs to make it through this game before letting on that he’s injured...

Kuroo leans next to him. “So, which one are you here for again?”

“Yamaguchi, number eleven.”

_ “And _ your future brother in law!” Saeko interrupts, and he rolls his eyes again.

“She’s here for her little brother, Tanaka, number five.” For some reason, he doesn’t want to call her onee-san in front of Kuroo. Maybe just because it seems childish? Though, he’s mastered the art of looking unaffected by anyone trying to make fun of him for it.

“Oh, you’re related to that guy?” Kuroo asks, leaning over Tsukishima to talk to her. “Love that dude, he’s best bros with our Yamamoto.”

Saeko is incredibly pleased to have found someone who appreciates her brother. “That’s right! Yamamoto- that’s Tora’s last name, right?”

The two of them chat before the game starts, Saeko talking about some sleepovers Yamamoto and Tanaka have had, while Kuroo offers her a few pointers for her to gently tease Yamamoto on the next time he’s over. Tsukishima mostly tunes them out, just keeping an eye on the court as it gets set up. The lights and the crowd all feel like too much, and it only gets worse as they get closer to the start of the match.

He’s jolted into awareness when a hand falls on his back. He realizes far too late that Kuroo has crowded into his space. “I know you have some thing where you don’t want to admit you’re not doing well,” Kuroo says, practically whispering in his ear. “But you look like you’re about to collapse.”

Tsukishima takes a deep breath. “I don’t know how many times I need to tell you this-”

Kuroo drops the hand before he can finish. “Got it, got it. Just let me know when you need me to carry you out of here.” Tsukishima shoots a glare at him before turning back to the court as the teams line up.

Yamaguchi searches him out in the crowd, smiling when he sees him. That’s exactly why Tsukishima can’t leave- this is the closest Tsukishima can come to being at his side. The idea of leaving, Yamaguchi looking up to see a gap where he’s been- no. He won’t do that. Not now, at the most important game so far.

Not long into it, he realizes that he doesn’t get to make that decision.

One moment he’s standing, and the next he’s leaning on Nekoma’s captain, having nearly hit the ground. Kuroo’s got a tight hold on him, and he blinks, trying to realize what happened. Rather than explaining, Kuroo’s first words are “I told you to give me some warning.”

As soon as he comprehends what Kuroo said, Tsukishima scowls and pulls away from him, standing up straight despite more nausea. “And I told you to stop- ugh.” He can’t really insist on being fine when he just… passed out for a few seconds. At least it was short enough that Saeko didn’t notice… He lowers his voice, leaning closer to Kuroo so he can hear. “After the game I’ll go.”

“No way. We’re going now.” Kuroo leans past him and raises his voice to catch Saeko’s attention. “Hey, uh- didn’t get your name. Sister in law!” She turns to look at him- he’d be grumpy about how proud she is of her hypothetical future title if he didn’t feel so sick. “I’m taking Tsukishima to the nurse’s station.”

“Huh? Why?”

“My friend that, how’d he put it? ‘Inconvenienced’ him? Might have given him a concussion.”

“Wh- Kei! You want me to come with-?”

Tsukishima scowls more. “No. I don’t even want to go.” Not that he seems to get to decide that now. “I’ll text you if I’m still there when it’s over.”

Saeko looks a little worried, but nods. “Alright. Guess I’ll cheer on Yamaguchi for your sake!”

He rolls his eyes. “Okay, Saeko-oneesan.” So overdramatic. “I’ll be back soon.” He grabs Kuroo by the arm and starts pushing his way through the crowd. It’s not too difficult- he’s sure his annoyed expression is what’s making people back away.

Despite his promise to be back soon, the nurse doesn’t seem interested in letting him go. Not that she’s actually able to diagnose anything, but she’s firmly against him entering the crowd again, insisting he stay until most of the dizziness passes or until the game is over. He’s not even allowed to watch on his phone, the nurse claiming that can make it worse. (Though, technically, she can’t hold him to that as she leaves immediately after warning him, he decides to follow her instructions anyway. He can just ask Yamaguchi or Saeko what happened later, anyway.)

Kuroo just hovers over him for some reason, rather than watching himself. “You can go back,” Tsukishima tells him after a few boring minutes of just holding an ice pack to his head.

“Not a chance,” Kuroo answers easily. “I promised Bo and Akaashi I’d keep an eye on you. They’d hate if I ditched you.”

“I thought you wanted to see the game.”

He waves away Tsukishima’s concern. “I’ll just watch a recording later. No way I’m gonna risk Akaashi’s wrath for upsetting Bo.”

“Akaashi’s wrath?” Tsukishima questions- he’s bored, and encouraging Kuroo to talk seems as interesting as anything else he can do.

Kuroo laughs. “Okay, maybe that’s a little exaggerated, but he’s secretly kind of an asshole, and he’s pretty defensive over Bokuto. He’s got a glare like yours, that kind of makes you wish you’d die rather than be on the end of it.”

“I think that’s a little excessive.” His scowling isn’t that bad, is it?

“I promise you, it isn’t.” He’s smiling, despite having just insulted Tsukishima and Akaashi. Tsukishima just huffs and winces a little as the numbness from the ice pack sets in. Kuroo keeps talking- is he trying to keep Tsukishima from getting too bored? It’s appreciated. “A couple of weeks ago, Bo and I wrestled over who was a better boyfriend, and Akaashi is only just starting to talk to me again-”

“I’m sorry, you  _ wrestled _ for it? Instead of, say, asking your girlfriends? Isn’t that a stupid thing to argue over in the first place-?” Tsukishima stops, though he has more to say. From Kuroo’s awkward expression, it seems like he said something wrong, somehow.

“...boyfriends,” Kuroo says after a moment of silence.

“Pardon?”

“Our boyfriends. Though even that’s kinda- well, it’s a weird situation. But Bo and I are both bi. Ah, keep that quiet, though, alright? Bokuto’s gonna try to go pro after graduation, so-”

Tsukishima cuts him off swiftly. “My mistake for assuming. It’s none of my business, so I won’t talk about it either.” It’s not like he has a leg to stand on here, anyway. “Especially when I am, too. But still, to argue over something so ridiculous…”

Kuroo seems to relax almost immediately. “Haha, yeah. Bo kept insisting I was the best, even though it was totally him-”

“You’re joking, Kuroo-san. You wrestled over insisting that the  _ other _ was better?” It makes him snicker, despite the sharp pain that comes through when his shoulders shake. “I feel bad for Akaashi-san…”

“Hey, come on-” Kuroo seems amused, too. However, the mood gets spoiled by some familiar faces.

Tsukishima sits up straighter- and when did he let himself relax around Kuroo, anyway? “Hinata-” he’s about to scold him for interrupting so suddenly, but from the disgusting amount of sweat and the look on his face, something’s very wrong.

“Oh…!” Karasuno’s manager looks terrified, as she often does when their paths cross. “Tsu- Tsukishima-san! We’ll only be a minute- we’re grabbing masks-” As she speaks, Hinata collapses into one of the other chairs, clinging to a tablet. He’s changed out of his uniform, even.

“What happened?” Kuroo asks, appropriately concerned- more than Tsukishima is, anyway.

“He’s got a fever,” Yachi says, fretting around and looking through the nurse’s things. “Shimada-san is driving us home early-”

“Why Shimada-san?” Tsukishima cuts her off, making her jolt.

“Um, he offered…”

At that, Tsukishima scoffs, and she just hurries around more, finding the masks and passing one to Hinata as she puts one on herself. If Shimada leaves, then Yamaguchi really has no one watching just for him. He stands up- avoiding coming within two meters of Hinata- and returns the ice pack. “Kuroo-san, we’re going back out.”

“Wait- why’re you with Nekoma’s captain, Tsukki?” Hinata asks, finally looking up from the screen- there must be a pause in the action- and Tsukishima rolls his eyes- he doesn’t have time for this.

“It doesn’t matter- and how many times have I told you not to call me that?”

“It totally matters! You’ve never met him before, right?”

Before Tsukishima can give the most bare-bones explanation, Kuroo answers in his stead. “Bokuto gave him a concussion between games. Poor dude felt bad leaving him for his own game, so I promised to keep an eye on him.”

Yachi stands up straight. “That’s what happened…?! Yamaguchi-kun was so worried when you left!”

“Well, I’m going back now, so he won’t have to worry any longer. Do you plan to stick around the infirmary, Kuroo-san?” he asks a little sharply.

Kuroo eyes him curiously before responding. “I thought you were staying until the game was over?”

“I feel better,” Tsukishima says shortly.

“...oh!” Yachi exclaims again. “You don’t want to leave Yamaguchi-kun without Shimada-san cheering him… on…” At Tsukishima’s glare, she trails off.

Tsukishima doesn’t bother to reply, instead just heading towards the door. Hinata’s attention is back on the tablet, but he still says… what amounts to a goodbye- “Hey Kuroo-san, can you thank Kenma again for lending me this?”

“Thought that looked familiar. Sure, I’ll tell him. Feel better, shrimp.” The door shuts behind the two of them just as Hinata squawks in offense. Clearly, he can’t really be  _ that _ sick, Tsukishima thinks, a little amused. “You sure this is a good idea?” Kuroo asks him. “I get that you’re worried about your friend, but-”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You said that before, too.”

Tsukishima sighs. “It shouldn’t go on for too much longer, if they’re letting Hinata leave.”

“He’s sick,” Kuroo points out.

“They need him. He’s one of their monsters of the court.” As they rejoin the crowd, he makes sure Kuroo is close as he returns to where they left Saeko. It’d be a pain to lose him in this crowd, after all. Even if he doesn’t really need Kuroo to keep an eye on him.

It’s quickly made clear that Tsukishima’s half right. They do need Hinata, given how they end up losing, but it did go on for a while. Yamaguchi looked up a few times, first looking pleased when Tsukishima returned, and then more anxiously as the game continued. As soon as it’s over, Tsukishima makes his way down to the court as quickly as possible- luckily not getting run over this time.

Yamaguchi’s sobbing, along with the rest of the team. ...in times like this, it’s another relief that he’s not on the court with them, but it also leaves him feeling detached and awkward. Kuroo and Saeko both go ahead of them- Kuroo patting Karasuno’s captain on the shoulder, Saeko going to her brother and Nishinoya, but Tsukishima waits on the outskirts for Yamaguchi to join him.

Before he does, someone pats Tsukishima’s back, hard, and he nearly tips over. “Hey!” He sighs before turning his head slowly- Bokuto and Akaashi stand behind him, fresh out of their game. (How does Akaashi look so good even when sweaty and clearly exhausted?) “Good to see you didn’t have to get hospitalized or anything!” Bokuto says cheerfully.

“I told you you were being excessive,” Tsukishima says dryly.

“I dunno, you still look pretty bad off. Did you go to the nurse’s station? I can take you if Kuroo didn’t-”

“I’m sure Tsukishima-san doesn’t need to be guided there,” Akaashi says. “If he were willing to go, he would have by now.”

Tsukishima adjusts his glasses, a slight nervous habit. “I’m fine. Kuroo and I went in the middle of the game. There wasn’t much she could do.”

Akaashi nods. “I see. Well, we don’t have much time before our bus leaves, but we wanted to make sure you were alright before we left. Or rather, we wanted to make sure that pain-in-the-ass rooster didn’t cause you any trouble.” The nickname makes Tsukishima laugh involuntarily, and he almost misses Yamaguchi’s approach.

“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi starts, wiping at his eyes, but he’s taken aback when he realizes Tsukishima is talking to- “Fukurodani?! I mean- ah, sorry, I just- don’t you have a match right now?”

“We beat ‘em early,” Bokuto tells him. “Just enough time to check on, uh- Tsukki?”

“Tsukishima-san,” Akaashi reminds him.

“Right! Though, Tsukki’s a cute nickname, isn’t it?”

“Check on him…?” Yamaguchi asks. “How do you know Tsukki?”

Tsukishima sighs. “Bokuto-san bumped into me earlier, and he and Akaashi-san are being overly concerned about it.”

“It’s not overly when it’s for good reason,” Kuroo adds- and damn it, Tsukishima feels  _ surrounded _ . Shouldn’t they all have other concerns…? For instance, the game that just happened? “The nurse said he probably has a concussion.”

“What?!” Yamaguchi practically screeches, and Tsukishima winces. “Tsukki, why are you even here? You should see a doctor! Or- at least, you should be sitting-”

“Yamaguchi,” he says, trying to cut him off, but it doesn’t stop him- Yamaguchi has been getting almost too bold recently.

“Don’t ‘Yamaguchi’ me! I know I asked you to watch my games, but not when you’re hurt!”

Kuroo snorts. “And you were so sure he needed you around,” he says, poking Tsukishima’s shoulder before turning to Yamaguchi. “He rushed back to the court as soon as your shorty said he was leaving with one of the adults.”

_ “Tsukki!” _

Tsukishima just groans. “I’ll be going back with Saeko-oneesan eventually anyway. It didn’t really matter whether I waited in the stands or at the office.”

“It does matter, when one’s a crowded place where you can get knocked around!” Yamaguchi narrows his eyes at him. “I’m telling Akiteru-san.”

That alarms him more than any other threat could. “No you are not.”

“I am. He’s going to be pissed.”

Akiteru’s overprotectiveness has been all the worse since they started talking again. Tsukishima groans. “What will it take for you to not tell him?”

“Going home with Tanaka-san’s sister right now.”

“Fine,” he agrees easily. He’s not looking forward to being in a car right now, but hopefully he won’t be sick.

“Good!” Yamaguchi quickly leaves to fetch her, and Tsukishima sighs. It probably won’t be as immediate as Yamaguchi thinks- she needs some time to dote on Tanaka, after all.

Bokuto leans over, getting in Tsukishima’s view. “Hey, Tsukki- I really am sorry about hurting you. If you need anything-”

“I need you to stop making a big deal of it.”

“Besides that,” Bokuto continues, undeterred. “Let me give you my number!”

Tsukishima blinks. “...isn’t Fukurodani in Tokyo?”

“Yeah? And?”

“I’m from Miyagi.”

“...yeah? And?”

Akaashi links his arm with Bokuto’s. “While Bokuto-san  _ does _ mean that he’d be happy to help you with anything, what he’s actually saying is that he’d like your number.”

“...why?”

Kuroo drapes an arm over Bokuto’s shoulders from the other side of him- he’s squished between the two of them. “Because Bo’s just that kind of guy. Half of his friends, he gets from stupid mishaps.”

“Kuroo and I met when I accidentally spiked him in the face at a training camp our first year,” Bokuto says, almost with pride. ...actually, it probably  _ is _ something he’s proud of.

“He put me in the nurse’s office, too,” Kuroo says with no malice in his voice. “Anyway, I want your number too. Unless Freckles is gonna mind, anyway. Just wondering, are you guys exclusive?”

He was about to ask why Yamaguchi would mind- or even be a part of this conversation- when Kuroo made it horribly clear what he thinks is going on. “...Yamaguchi and I aren’t dating.” People have that misconception so often, he can’t even bring himself to be annoyed at it anymore. “He’s dating an idiot from another school’s volleyball team.”

“An idiot?” Bokuto asks.

“I’ve only met Terushima-san a few times, but it’s the most accurate term for him.” Other than his grades, anyway- how can someone in advanced classes be so stupid?

“Never heard of him,” Kuroo says. “So, are you… single?”

Tsukishima rolls his eyes. “Really? You’re going to ask me that?”

Kuroo starts sputtering. “Listen, it’s not like- I mean- yeah, I am! How else am I supposed to ask?”

“First, I’d stick to just asking for the phone number, rather than making your intentions so blatantly obvious from the start. Secondly, you mentioned earlier you had a boyfriend as recently as a few weeks ago, and I’m not exactly interested in being a stranger’s rebound-”

“Uh,” Kuroo interrupts. “I had a script, actually.”

“A script?”

“Yeah, because when I’m interested in someone it comes with… qualifiers? So I was leading into it.”

“...qualifiers.” Damn it, he’s actually curious. “What kind of qualifiers?”

“Okay, first- are you in an exclusive relationship?”

And, he’s back on this so-called script of his. “No, I’m not.”

“Cool, step one down. Step two, what’s your thought on open relationships?”

That startles him so much that he doesn’t even have a response. Bokuto starts snickering at Tsukishima’s expression, but at least Akaashi manages a straight face as he reaches past Bokuto to smack Kuroo’s shoulder. “Kuroo-san. Your script is terrible.”

“What?! What’s wrong with it?”

Bokuto fights to speak through his laughter. “It was way too sudden, dude! ‘Are you single? Do you wanna be polyamorous?’ Come  _ on!” _

“Bokuto-san is right,” Akaashi tells him. “You could have responded to his comment about being a rebound by saying you’re in an open relationship, rather than… whatever you just did.”

Bokuto and Akaashi continue in this fashion as Tsukishima tries to process what just happened. In the first place, he hasn’t exactly given Kuroo a reason to flirt with him. All he’s done is get injured and chat with him a little. And then… his opinion on open relationships? That’s something he’s not familiar with at all. But Kuroo is dating someone, and still is trying to ask him out (maybe)?

“Shouldn’t you talk to your boyfriend first, instead of just asking someone out so suddenly?” Tsukishima asks when the teasing dies down. The look Kuroo gives him makes him wish Yamaguchi would get back immediately.

“I mean, if they had a problem, they’d tell me. Right?” he asks Bokuto and Akaashi.

“You’re just messing with me now,” Tsukishima says before either of them can answer. Sure, he mentioned Bokuto being bisexual, and that they’d argued over demanding the other is a better boyfriend- which… makes sense when they’re dating each other, but- okay, but not  _ Akaashi _ . He seems like such a normal-albeit-beautiful person! Even if he’s apparently, in Kuroo’s words, incredibly defensive of Bokuto- which makes sense if he’s dating  _ Bokuto, _ but Kuroo-?

Akaashi sighs, sounding even more tired. “He’s not. The three of us are dating.”

...that doesn’t seem possible.

Kuroo laughs at his expression and presses against Bokuto more. “You’re thinking about how lucky I am, right?”

“...something like that,” Tsukishima answers.

“Well-”

Kuroo’s caught off by Yamaguchi’s return, now with Saeko in tow, Tanaka trailing after her. “Alright, Tsukki, you’re all set to go, right? Tanaka-san’s sister offered to take you straight to the doctor’s, so-”

“Shit,” Kuroo swears before Tsukishima can decide how to answer. “I didn’t think about-” He steps away from Bokuto’s side. “Okay, I know I just dropped a lot on you at once, so like- can we just trade numbers? You can think about it for a bit?”

Tanaka tries to butt in between them. “Hah? What are you doing with Tsukishima, you damn cat?”

Before he can do anything more, Tsukishima elbows him, hard, and he yelps before getting out of the way. “Fine,” he says shortly, holding out his phone to exchange numbers. Kuroo quickly does the same.

“Wait, I want Tsukki’s number too-” Bokuto tries, but Akaashi holds his arm tighter.

“I’m sure Kuroo-san can give it to us later if Tsukishima-san is alright with it. Tsukishima-san, I hope you feel better.”

“Thank you,” he murmurs.

“Sorry again!” Bokuto apologizes. “See you, uh… eventually?”

It’s not very likely, considering, well… Nationals are over for Karasuno. But he needs to hurry his goodbyes so they won’t take much longer, so- “Sure. Goodbye, Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san, Kuroo-san.” With that, he grabs Yamaguchi by the arm and starts heading through the crowd to leave the building.

“Tsukki, what was going on there…?” Yamaguchi asks.

Tsukishima just shakes his head, realizing too late that was a mistake, from the pain it brings. “I’ll tell you later. You have to go on the bus, right?” He swears internally at how quickly they have to separate. “I… I’m sorry I missed so much of the game. But… congratulations on getting so far.”

Yamaguchi starts to tear up again. “Oh god, you’re actually dying.”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

Kageyama ends up pulling Yamaguchi away, back to their bus, and Tsukishima gets into Saeko’s car. “Please don’t drive like a maniac this time, or I’m really going to puke all over your car,” he warns her, tuning out her response in favor of taking out his phone.

He’s not even sure how to process the end of his conversation with Kuroo. Something about him caught Kuroo’s eye- even when he’s dating Akaashi, the prettiest boy Tsukishima has ever seen, and Bokuto, who makes up for his stupid hair with his muscles? Tsukishima isn’t pretty or buff, just lanky, and he didn’t exactly show off his impeccable wit with his concussion and refusal to get medical attention.

And it’s not like Kuroo himself is bad to look at. Well, his hair is even worse than Bokuto’s, but Tsukishima liked his smirk- and his ugly laugh. He really didn’t hold anything back, even his awkward comments. When he thinks about it, it’s not actually that surprising that he was able to date the two of them- though, he has a feeling that it wasn’t Kuroo who managed to actually get them all together, with his…  _ flawed _ flirting skills.

Maybe it was Bokuto, with his admittedly endearing enthusiasm, cheerfully suggesting it without a care in the world- something like ‘I like you both, why don’t we just date?’ Or maybe Akaashi, with a relaxed smile, clearing up whatever misconceptions the two of them could have come up with. He seems like the reliable type.

...is he really considering this? Talking to Kuroo-san, with the idea of dating in mind? And… would that eventually lead to dating the other two, as well? He’s got to look more into open relationships- he absolutely won’t make a fool of himself by assuming one thing or another-

Fuck. He’s considering this.

It’s fine. He’ll look it up to answer the basic questions. He’ll get Yamaguchi’s judgement, he’ll ask Kuroo anything specific he needs to know- scratch that. He’ll ask for Akaashi’s information instead. He seems far more level-leaded.

As he fidgets with his phone, looking at Kuroo’s contact information, he gets a message- he’s been added to a groupchat. Starring Kuroo and two unknown numbers. His phone goes off in rapid succession, so fast he struggles to read the notifications.

Tsukishima swears he can feel his headache coming back with a vengeance.

**Author's Note:**

> my first finished fic since i injured my wrist in... july? july. i wont be doing any more for this fanweek but ive got a few other wips right now, including vanilla's continuation (god, writing weddings is way harder than i thought) so yall can look forward to that+sorry for being so quiet!
> 
> find me on twitter at deltonysus


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